RUGBY

LATIN AMERICA

In Latin America, Argentina is the most famour team, and represente the whole continent.

The Argentina national rugby union team represents Argentina in men’s international rugby union. The are nicknamed “Los Pumas”. The other rugby selections for the Argentine Rugby Union are :
- Argentina XV (second male selection)

- Seleccion masculina de rugby 7 de Argentina (Rugby Sevens Male team), nicknamed Pumas 7s
- Seleccion femenina de rugby 7 de Argentina (Rugby Sevens Female team), nicknamed Las Pumas

- Seleccion juvenil de rugby de Argentina (under 20), nicknamed Los Pumitas

Rugby union in Latin America is not as popular as football, the Pumas' impressive results since the 1999 World Cup have seen the sport's popularity grow significantly. Argentina has achieved several upset victories, are tough contenders when playing in Buenos Aires, and are capable of regularly defeating Six Nations sides. They have competed at every Rugby World Cup staged since the first tournament of 1987, and the country are considered the strongest within the Americas, being undefeated against all but Canada, against whom they have suffered three losses.

Los Pumas have come to represent an entire continent in a sport that has been dominated by European and Commonwealth nations - as rugby gradually becomes a keen interest for Latinos across the globe thanks to the success of the Argentine rugby team.

Los Pumas against the Irish Team,

Dublin, Ireland on November 24, 2012

ARGENTINA

Quick history :

As for football, Rugby was brought to Argentina by the British.

1873 : The first Rugby game was played in Argentina.

At first, it was the city port (Buenos Aires) against the ‘interior’ (provinces). In football, it is Boca Juniors against River Plate. It was the ‘rich’ clubs that started rugby, all of English origin, such as Belgrano Athletic, Buenos Aires Cricket and Rugby, Lomas Athletic, etc... Others that became part of the elite group, such as Club Atlético San Isidro (CASI) or Club Universitario de Buenos Aires (CUBA), followed these clubs. People of higher socioeconomic status played for those clubs. This was all in Buenos Aires. The rest of the country didn’t ‘exist,’ except for a small group in Rosario, as one of them was a founding rugby club (Rosario Athletic).

1899 : The Argentinian Rugby Union was formed in by four clubs from Buenos Aires, taking the name of the River Plate Rugby Football Union.

1927, July the 31th : first test where they play in the colors of their flag, in sky blue and white jerseys versus the British Lions.

1941 : The jaguar has been chosen as the symbol of the team in due to his “agility and courage”.

1953 : Rugby grew and other clubs were formed with less of an ‘elite’ background. There was Pucará, Obras Sanitarias, and Los Matreros, just to give some examples.

Pucará was the first club, from the Southern suburbs, to beat a touring team. Obras Sanitarias was the first club from a modest background to become champion.

1965 : First overseas tour to South Africa. It is at this time that they earne their nick-name in mistaking the jaguar on their crest for a puma.

1987 : Known as the "Union Argentina de Rugby", they became an official member of the International Rugby Board after being invited to the first World Cup.

Team of 1884, the oldest photo of a rugby team in Argentina

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Argentine rugby team in their sky bu and white shirts

BUENOS AIRES

As for football, Rugby was brought to Argentina by the British.

To this day, there’s animosity between Buenos Aires and the provinces. Everyone wants to beat the big city. Cordoba and Tucumán became powerhouses, especially Tucumán. This is remarkable, as it is a very small and rather poor province. But whoever plays Tucumán should be prepared to go to war. Players from the country and players from Buenos Aires are considered as two separate groups.

Interestingly, rugby is not seen as a totally elite sport there, it is just more popular, though it has nothing compared to football. It is still mostly amateur, as many of the top Argentine players cross the Atlantic to play their club rugby in Europe.

Famous players :

Agustín Pichot